Railways Illustrated Magazine August 202 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**

Welcome

Doyou ever haveone of thosemoments whereyou just want the ground to open up and swallowyou whole?Ihad thata few days agowhen Igot an email correcting me on my locoIDfeature, as itsseems Igot one of the case study locoIDs wrong! Well, Ihad gotitright…Ihad justbloodywell writtenitincorrectly in the article. TheimageI am referring to is what Iwrote as 37147, but is actually 37149! Ihad indeedidentified it as 37149 and told the photographer Colin Marsden thatitwas 37149,soIdonot knowwhat possessed me to write37147 in the feature– other than thathas been one of the initial shortlistof eight possible candidates! Anyway,Iamhappytocorrect this mistake,which is wholly down to me. Pressureofwork andall that. Maybe Iwas beingnagged by adog forawalk or ateenager to ‘lend’ her atennerthatI’ll neversee again.Who knows, butpleaseacceptmyapologies. June is alwaysahecticmonth; in fact,Iwas away from homeevery weekend. First it wasthe West SomersetRailway’sdieselgala, then theNorth YorkshireMoorsevent,then the little matter of a personal ambition –totravelbehind Class 20s to Kyle of Lochalsh. And finally on the lastweekend of the month, aClass 50 ‘bashers’ reunion at the Severn ValleyRailway.

By the time youreadthis, I’ll be gearing up for the EastLancashireRailway’sdiesel event, and July continues with the Mid-Hants,Kent& East Sussexand Glos Warks galas –which, Iadmit,I might notget to all of them. It is agood job Ihave the mostunderstanding wife ever,although she does appreciate the respitetheseovernight gala visits give her from my allegedloud snoring!

Going to eventssuch as diesel galas and charters is whereI gettospeak to people and getthose little leads and nibbles thatmight turn intobig stories. Iremember well over adecade agobeing in the pubatGrosmontinbetween trips andsomeone tipping me of about DRSlooking at acquiring some Vossloh locos. Look howthatpanned out! Iadmit Ifelta bitold when theClass 58swere withdrawn and scrapped or exported (or both!),but the newsthata Class 67 has been scrapped is really ageingme! Thatloco, 67003, Iremember seeing on the test trackatValencia afer it had justbeen built. It wasdelivered the day afer thehorrific Ladbroke Grove crash, but to seeitgointhe bin with onlyhalf itsrealistic lifespent is, well, justsurreal. It shows thatthe railwayisalways moving on,and there is always something to report

Coming up in thisissue

There’slotsofnews, as always. Freightliner is looking at repainting 59001 intothe original silver,with asmall splash of blue, Foster Yeoman livery,to celebrate the locos’40th anniversaryinJanuary. I hope this comes of as it would be anicetouch.Four decades of Class 59s is amilestone forsure, and we’ll be lookingbackattheir lives early next year This year is the 70th anniversary of the Modernisation Plan, and it wasfascinating re-reading that report from January1955. Iwas struck by several things –one beinghow the report coveredall bases succinctlyand without gettingbogged down in too much unnecessary detail; if such areport were produced today, it would be 700-plus pages, no doubt! It also highlighted that, even though therewere some flaws, theyweren’t actuallyasbad as history

Avisitor the WestSomersetRailway’sJune diesel gala wasEastLancashireRailway-based 45108, thePeakseen arriving here at Williton on June 7withthe 10.42 Minehead-BishopsLydeard.Sadly,this event didnot getthe good weather thatgalas the following weekendenjoyed. Pip Dunn

KEEP IN TOUCH

If youhaveany comments, photographic contributions, featuresuggestions, or constructivefeedback,please contactPip Dunn by email at rieditor@mortons.co.uk or via the postal address provided on page 4.

sometimestriestotellus. And the value formoney compared with today’sinvestment in the railways is breathtaking; BR planned to introducediesel locos, DMUs, electrify twokey main lines and two major commuter networks,build marshalling yards, completely reshapethe wagonfleet,introduce morepassengers coaches and fit trains brakes to all wagons –all forunder£30 billion in today’smoney. I’velosttrack of whatHS2 is going to finally cost, but Ibet it’smorethan £100bn, and for what? Yes, it will create somecapacity,and some faster journeys between ourtwo major cities, but,I mustadmit,the constant cutting back of theproject, combined with continual increases in prices, means Ithinkitisn’t the golden goose we were promised.

Robin Ralstonprovides thefirst of twopictorial nostalgia features of coal trains in Scotland, using images mostly from the 1980s/early 1990s with BR blue, Railfreight and Trainload Classes 20s, 26s, 27s, 37s andevena 47. Next monthhe’ll look at thelate 1990s and early 2000s, with 37s, 56s, 60s andeven a92. I’mpleasedthese nostalgia features arebeing warmly received. Thereare many moreinthe pipeline TenPictures comes from well-respectedveteran WestCountryphotographer BernardMills. He has plenty of greatmaterial in his vast collection, he’s writtenmanybooks as well, so if youlikewhatis showcased here, check them out.

Finally,I’vebeen delving through the history of locos which had TOPS numbersallocated to them but were neveractually carried, the locobeing withdrawn beforeits newnumber could be applied, or converted to adiferent sub-class, or indeed, NOT convertedtoadiferentsub-class! Letmeknowifyou disagree with any of it,orifI’veoverlooked anything. As Iwrite this, the weather is glorious. It’scertainly shorts-wearing time… Idolove thistimeof year,with these long, hotdays. Whatbetterthan getting out an enjoying adiesel gala or asession at the lineside with your cameras (or video) capturing today’srailway? Which will be very diferent in five, 10, 20 yearsfromnow!

Enjoythe issue!

On Sale Date: Usually first Thursday of the month

This Issue On Sale: July 3, 2025

Next Issue On Sale: August7,2025

EDITOR: Pip Dunn

ARTEDITOR: Kelvin Clements

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Contributions to this magazine should be clearly typedand ideally sent by email. Please contactthe editor by email with any possible featureideas beforesubmission. Photographssubmitted to Railways Illustrated areacceptedonthe basis that they arethe copyright property of the person submitting them, or afertheyhave received suitablepermission from thecopyright owner. Please do not submit pictures to Railways Illustrated thathavebeen senttoother publications. Opinions expressed in this magazine arenot necessarily those of the editor or publisher

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4RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED August 2025

Features

30 Wasthis the modern world?

In 1955, British Railways published itsModernisation Plan to upgradeall aspects of the nation’s railways. Fleet, stations, freight and passenger trains were all included in a£1.24 billion plan thatoferedlotsofhope.Mostof it wasverysensible, but it did havea fewflaws…

50 Number notrecognised….

The switch to TOPS numbersinthe early 1970s was, overall, mostly straightforward, but therewereafew locos thatwereallocatednumbers and changes afectedthem before theywerephysically applied. Pip Dunn rounds up those numbersthatcould havebeen applied but weren’t.

60 King Coalnorth of the border

Scottish photographer Robin Ralstondelvesintohis archive to presentsthe firstoftwo collections of images of coal trains in Scotland. The first part will look mostly at the BR erawhen Class 20s, 26s and 37s reignedsupreme moving the ‘black gold’ from collier ytopowerstations.

66 10 Pictures: BernardMills

This month’s 10 pictures comes from well-known and renowned West Countryphotographer BernardMills, who has been taking pictures for severaldecades now. He presentsa mixture of diesel and steamimages from alifetime behind the camera.

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The easiestand cheapestway to getyourcopy of RailwaysIllustrated each month is to take out asubscription. Full detailsare on page 56/57. At the moment,a subscription by Direct Debit means youwill beat any pricerises, you usually receivethe magazine earlier than the on-sale date,and youwon’t miss an issue.

Freightliner to commemorate40years of Class59s with Foster Yeoman repaint?

TO CELEBRAT E 40 yearso ft he Class 59s, Freightliner is considering repainting pioneer 59001 back intothe Foster Yeoman silver and blue livery it and 59002-004worewhen theywere delivered to the UK in January1986.

The American-built General Motors Class 59s were trailblazersasthey were the firstprivately-owned diesel locos to be put intoregular use on the then heavily nationalisedBritish Rail network.FosterYeoman boughtthem in response to repeatedly unreliable performanceitwas getting from BR’s Class 56s thatworkedits stone trains out of the Mendips.

Onceresistancefromthe unions over buying from Americarather than theUK wasovercome,the four locos docked in the UK on January21, 1986. They were joined by 59005 in June 1989, while fellowstone supplier Amey Roadstone bought itsown four Class 59/1s, 59101-104, in 1990. Then in 1994, 59201206 were delivered to National Power, which then started itsown open access freight operations, but only did so fora couple of yearsbeforeselling thelocos and wagons to the newly-formed EWS. When Freightliner wonthe contract to move stone from DB Cargo in April 2019, it took ownershipofall the Class 59s with the exception of 59003, which FY had exported to Germany in 1997,

only to be bought by GBRf in 2014. It is still ownedbyGBRf,albeit on longterm hiretoColas Rail Freight

The lastClass 59 to carrythe original silver liverywas 59005inApril 1998. The

59/0 fleetwas progressively painted intoa revisedFosterYeomanliveryduring199598. Thefirst majorvariation came in January1997 when 59003was paintedinared andblue liveryfor itsnew role in Germany

67003: Firstofits type to head to scrapyard

AFTER A workinglifeofjust20 years, DB Cargo hassolda first Class 67 forscrap –and otherscould follow.Withdrawn in October2019, 67003 wassent to EMRa Kingsbury fordisposal on May 27 and scrapped promptly on arrival.

The locomotive, which alsotook the accolade of being the first of the 30-strong fleettobedelivered to EWSback in October 1999,was one of 10 Class 67soferedfor sale by DBC in December 2023.

Of those, onlytwo arousedserious interest, with 67026/028 sold to Transport to Wales in 2024. 67028 is being reactivated, while 67026 is a being used as asource of spares and is unlikely to ever run again.

EWS, DB Cargo’s predecessor, ordered 30 of the 125mph ETSfittedType 5s in 1996.They were built by Alstom, underlicence from EMD, in Valencia from 1999 to 2000. 67003 wasthe first to dock at Newport on October 6, 1999.

The Class 67 wasbased on the Class 66, but while it had asimilar powerunit and driveline, the locos were Bo-Bo and intended for

mail and passenger work .They were seen as keytomodernising the Rail Express Systems mail and charter sectorthathad relied on Class 47s with debatable reliability levels at times,causing to many complaintsfromRoyal Mail.

67003, which wasrepainted in ArrivaTrains Wales’ turquoise in 2011, waswithdrawn in October 2019 afer aworking lifeofjust20 years, probably half of what should havebeen expectedfromthe loco. It washeavily stripped of anyreusable componentsand waslittle morethan aguttedshell.

In December2023, DB Cargo offered 67001/003/004/009/011/ 018/019/026/028/030 forsalebut only67028 wasinoperational condition. The highcostofreactivatingthe locos, nottomentionthe purchase pricefromDBC,seems to haveput other prospectivebuyers of from buying. Some, like67019, were withdrawn as long agoas 2016. It is fair to assume the other sevenlocos arealso nowlikely to be sold forscrap as theytoo havealso been heavily strippedand areina

very poor condition.

Nottoo long ago, GB Railfreight expressedaninterestintaking as many as four 67s,but with the arrival of itsfirst bi-mode Class 99s, it has nowstateditwon’t be looking to take on any moreadditional motivepower.

Despitenever running at 125mph, the Class 67s were still auseful loco forEWS but slowly the work they had been boughtfor ceased,and despitefinding some other work forthem, such as with Wrexham& Shropshire(and laterChiltern Railways), mostofthe contracts that needed 67s haveeither ended or been takenonbyother suppliers.

The 18 Class 67s lef in usewith DBC are67002 forETCStesting, 67005007/021/024 forRoyal Train and Pullmanworkand 67008/010/012017/020/022/025/029 (hiretoTfW).

One bit of good news forthe fleet wasthat67012, which had been placed in store, has been repainted intoTfW black,suggesting it will be returning to trafic shorty.Itwas the lastofthe fivelocos that hadsported the old Chiltern Railways silver.

59002 appeared in the green and orangeMendip Rail liver yinMay 2000,but 59001/002/004/005 were all painted in the AggregateIndustries liveryfromJuly 2008, with 59004 the lasttobetreated in February2016. Whilethe 59/2s haveall nowbeen painted in Freightliner’snew orange livery,thiswas donemainlybecause the locos were in old DB Cargo livery. 59102/104 arealsointhis livery, while 59103 retainsthe old Hanson livery, and 59101 wasrecentlyrepainted in HeidelbergMaterials green in December 2023.

More HSTs forexpor t

ANOTHERSIX HSTpower cars are being prepared by Romic forexport with 43190, 43309/310/314/317/318 being movedfromEly to Dereham, on the Mid-Norfolk Railway,for preparation. The former three were delivered on May 20 by 37501 Teesside Steelmaster and 37800 Cassiopeia and two days latertheymoved 43314/317/318. Theyjoin 43174/191, which have been at Dereham forsome time and havebeen totally stripped; it is inevitable thattheir bodyshells will scrapped. Their arrival leaves just43305/311/367 in storeatEly pending developments, while 43017/020 areatBurton being prepared fortransfertoMexico.

Busy week for45withPancras visit and RoyalArtillery rededication

LOCOMOTIVE SERVICES’ Peak 45118

TheRoyal Artilleryman hada busy last week of May,which started on May 26 when it became the first Class 45 to visitStPancras since2004, followed by arededication to itsnamesakeregiment on the following Friday,May 30.

Thatcharter visit saw it work the ‘MasterCutler’fromLeeds,recreating the days of Class 45s onthis servicein the 1970s and early 1980s. Itsarrival wasthe first 45 to use the newplatforms at St Pancras.

Thelast45intoStPancras wason April8,2004, when 45112 RoyalArmy OrdnanceCorps worked aspecial train to commemorate the ‘closure’ of the original station under Barlow’strainshed just beforedevelopersstarted athree-year rebuild of the station foruse by Eurostar which opened in November 2007.

The outwardrun of the charter was via the Erewash Valleyand Corby, while thereturn wasvia Leicesterand Derby. On the rear was47593 GallowayPrincess forshunt release duties.

On May 30, 45118 visited Salisbury fora rededication ceremony with its namesakeregiment,which is based at Larkhill, near Stonehenge

It wo rked as pec ial train from Warminsterwith invitedguests to aguardofhonour made up of RA soldiers. Sir Andrew Gregory, master gunner of St James Park,unveiled thenameplateand waspresented with areplicanameplate forthe regiment to display

LSLnon-executivedirectorPhil Swallowsaid: “Asthe operator of The RoyalArtilleryman, we arehonoured and delighted to formally rededicate

this locomotivetothe RoyalArtillery. As the public see it on the network,we hopeitwillremindthemofthe service of previous and current artillerymen in the defenceofour country.

“In the year of Rail 200, it also reminds us of the long history of locomotivenaming, starting with Locomotion No.1 on the Stocktonand Darlington railway 200 yearsago!”

Afer acircular trip via Southampton forotherguests,the 45 then took the empty train back to Crewe.

D67 wasnamed on September 14, 1965, but lostits nameplatesinthe 1980s; thesecondman’s side platewas removed in the summer of 1983, while the other plate wasremovedinlate summer 1986. It waswithdrawnbyBRonMay 8, 1987, but under LSL’sownership is now the only main line-registeredClass 45.

THE ONGOING delays in getting

Class 701 EMUsintraffic has seen

S ou th We st er nR ail wa ys ign a £55.4 million contractwith Porterbrook to retain 79 of itsfour-car third rail Class 455 EMUsfor threemoreyears. The deal allows SWR to returnany individual unit to Porterbrook with justone month’s notice. SWR will

continue to maintain the trainsatits Wimbledon depot

The remainingClass 455s, which sh ou ld ha ve be en wi thd ra wn a couple of yearsago,are 455701703/705-721/723-725/727-735/737742/750, 455848-854/856-874 and 455901-906/908-916/919/920.

As soon as aunit’smileage exceeds

IN BRIEF

DCRail has movedtwo Class 60s, 60057/075, to theBoden Rail Engineering facility at Colwick for parts recovery.Theywill giveupparts to otherClass60s being overhauled.

60099 is still on course to be the first Class 60 resurrected from DCRail’s13stored60s, with asecond loco, most likely 60013, but still to be 100% confirmed, the next to be overhauled.

LSLhas bought 90026 from the recent DB Cargo list to join 90001/002 in the company’sfleet. It remains in Grand Central black but will most likely be repainted intoaformer BR livery.Itleaves 90019-021/024/028/029/034037/039 still to be disposed of Europhoenixhas successfully tested newly-fitted coupling equipment on 37407 Blackpool Towertoallowittomove multiple unitswithoutneeding a translator vehicle.

DB Cargo hasfittednine moreClass 66s with in-cab monitoring equipment following asuccessfultrial with 66139. Now modified and so moving into the WBGT ‘Guardian’ pool are 66004/015/025/041/068/079/094, 66120/136.

SevenmoreDBC Class 66s havebeen stood down from the operational fleet, with 66006/040/083/083/121/140/170 moving to theWQAApool. Allare at Toton, apart from 66083/121 at Knottingley. However, 66002 has been returned to theWBAT activepool.

June 18 saw GBRf name 66313 Lucie and 66314 Katie after employers,the latest in its long tradition of naming locos after female staff members. They worked aPeterborough-Newcastle staff special train that day.

GBRf’s 69013 wasused to move 68022/030/032 from Long Marston to UKRL’s site at Loughborough on June 12, presumably to return them to use forChiltern Railways.

500,000 sincetheir lastC4overhaul or theyrun out of time sincetheir last C6 overhaul, then theywillbewithdrawn. Many of the 455s don’t have the mileage to make 2028. The last C4 overhaul has been undertaken at Bournemouth.

Basically,it’sacover deal and the ability to hand back unitsmeans SWR

is simply covering itsfleetrequirement as the debacle over entryofthe Class 701s drags on and on.

Amoreconcrete extension is the ne wf ive- year lease awarded to Porterbrook forthe 10 Class 158 and 29 Class 159s it hasinuse on the Waterloo-ExeterStDavid’s route, valued at £94.7m.

GBRf takesdeliver yoff irst twoClass

99001/002 wait forthe final checks before 66307 Ipswich Town movesthem to LeicesteronJune17afertheir arrivalfromSpain via theCzech Republic. BobTiller Cumminsdiesel engine fornon-electrified lines, which means trains can run from anywheretoanywhere without needing to changetraction.

GB RAILFREIGHT’S first twoStadler Class 99 Electro-Diesels, 99001/002, arrived in UK on June 10, when they docked at thePortofBristol.

Theywerethen moved by lorries to the nearbyAvonmouthHanson sidings, wheretheywerecollected on June 17 by 66307 IpswichTown, which took them to Leicesterdepot, the new home forthe fleetand wheretheywill be maintained by Stadler Rail Services. Although built in Valencia, they arrived from the Velim test track in the Czech Republic where theyhad been undergoing proving trials. SeveralGBRf drivershavebeen to Spain to gain traction knowledgeonthe newCo-Co locos. 99001/002 arethe first of the initial batchof30locos thatGBRfhas on order from Stadler,financed through Beacon Rail.

John Smith OBE, chief executive oficerofGBRailfreight,said: “Thenew locomotives will enable businesses to transporttheirfreight more eficiently With both renewablefuels andelectric capability,our Class99s arebuilt for achanging network and to meetthe evolving demands of our customers.”

The locos havebeen routecleared by Network Rail and willnow start being used fordriver training as well as aseries of testing and commissioningrunsbeforeenteringtrafic‘by the end of 2025.’ The rest of the fleetwill begin arriving in the UK in late 2025 and continue throughout 2026.

The Class 99 designisbased on the proven Stadler Eurodual concept and canrun on the 25kV AC electrified OLE –whereitwill have8200hp of poweravailable to it –oruse its2415hp low-emission Stage-V

GBRf added: “Stadler’sClass 99s havesuccessfully passed allnecessary specified testswith flying colours. We areexcited to seethe firstontracksin theUKwiththe fantasticsupport from colleagues in NetworkRail.”

Theycome fittedwith AWSand TPWS, and ETCS will soon be added. The first 20 locomotivesare duetobe delivered as standard75mph freight

locos, but the next 10 will have Electric Train Supply forworking trainssuch as the RoyalScotsman and Britannic Explorer.Atleast one locoshouldwear each of these specialtrains’liveries, and other customer liveries will no doubtbeseen on the fleet. Thereisanoption for20morelocomotives, and GBRf is already indicating thatitisexpecting it will take this up,and thoseextra locoscould include 10-12 fittedwith uprated ETSfor use on the Caledonian Sleeper duties and possibly ahigher topspeed.

The squadron arrivalofClass 99s will enable GBRf to reappraise its current fleet, and it is likely the 10 Class60s could be withdrawn from itsfleet firstand returned to Beacon Rail. With theregearing of eight Class 66songoing, eliminating the 60s, which havenot reached thereliability levels GBRf demands, seems sensible.

It is also understood some Class 66s could be returnedtotheir leasing companies when theircurrent lease periods expire.

Class66changefor BritannicExplorerduties

THERE HAS been achangeofplan regarding wrapping Class 66s in anew liveryfor the newBelmond Britannic Explorer train as GB Railfreight ramps up thetrainingfor theintroductionof the train, planned forJuly

The initial plan wa st o ha ve 66744/745 wrapped in the same light blue as the 10 Mk.3coaches, which has nowchanged despitebothhaving been repainted in newcoats of the standardGBRfliveryready fortheir wrap and losing theirnameplates. Instead, just 66748 looksset to be given the wrap,and it will lose its West Burton 50 nameplates.

Ho we ve r, RI under stands th at Belmond has ex pressed ser ious concern over the stateofNR’slineside vegetation and the damageit could do to the fleetoffreshly overhauled Mk.3 coachesfor thetrain. Acrewtraining, routelearning and routeproving exercise has been ongoing with arakeofEastern Rail Services Mk.2/3 coaches and this suffered some extreme scratching by trees thatare tooclose to the running lines.

These test runs used GBRf’s 57310 UK Railtours and 66751 Inspiration

Delivered Hitachi Rail Europe andin June theyundertook aTauntonto

On June 2, 66307

Penzance andFowey training run. On June 9,the train visited MilfordHaven, andthe following daywenttoPwllheli behind 97303 DaveBerry and 37405.

On June 2, 66307 Ipswich Town hauled eight ofthe 10 coaches forthe luxury

5Z43, the17.28

from theloco, 99101-103/106-110.

train, 99101-103/106-110 as 5Z43, the 17.28 Hamilton-Eastleigh,afertheir overhaul by AssentaRailatHamilton. However, travel on the trains does notcome cheap.The train, which is due to covermany scenic routes in

Cornwall andWales,sees prices fora double cabin start from £11,000 fora four-day/three-night itinerary, which includes of-train excursions and all meals, wine, and alcoholic beverages on board.

Lumo looksfor 222s,but 810s ‘delayed’

66732 John Smith hauls 810003 throughChesterfield,taking it fromOld Dalby to Hitachi’sfactory at NewtonAyclife on June 16. EMR has confirmed theremay be some delays in getting the 810s intotrafic Loghan Smedley mitigation strategiestoensure service continuity.”

OPEN ACCESS operatorLumo has agreed to take on fiveClass 222s, 222001-005, foruse on anew Stirling to London servicetostart the new routeuntil itsnew Hitachi AT300 bi-mode unitsare delivered. They would be reconfigured as six-car sets.

However, therecould be aslight delay in their transfer as the Class810 bi-modeunits–also an AT300 design –may be delayed in entering traficfor EastMidlands Railway to replacethe Bombardier diesel units.

An EMR spokesperson said: “The five-cartype testing forour newClass 810 Aurora trains has been completed and the ORR has grantedauthorisation to placethem intoserviceinMay 2025 –akey programme milestone.

“However, testing and the transferofunitstoEMR and Rock Rail are currently paused while Hitachi Rail investigates functional issues identified in early units. Full testing, including for10-car operation, is expected to resume in summer 2025.”

RI understand thatthe 810s have been sufering overheating issues, but this has notbeen confirmed. EMR added: “Weremain committedtointroducingthe Aurora fleetin 2025, with phased roll-out continuing into2026. In parallel, we areactively assessing the pote ntial impa ct on our timetable due to the fixed return datesofour Class 222trains from October 2025 andexploring

The Class 222s areused on all EMR’s inter-city trains between St Pancras and Derby, Nottingham, and Sheffield. Thereare 33 Class 810 unitson order, andtheywilleventually release all the 222s –four seven-carsand 23 four-cars–back to Eversholt.

Alstomhas signed a£50 million contractfor the refresh and maintenanceofthe fiveClass 222s. It includes aTrain Services Agreement

with FirstGroup –valued at about £40m –tobedelivered at Central Rivers. Alstomwill maintain, overhaul, serviceand cleanthe fivetrainsover the next fiveyears.

In addition, the contractincludes a fleetmodernisationprogramme with Eversholt Rail –worth about£10m –which will be carried out at Alstom’s Widnes site. The refresh involves new, ergonomically designed seating, upgraded passenger wi-fi and a full exterior repaint

Themodernisationalsoincludesnew CCTV systems and Intelligent Engine Start-Stoptechnologywhichautomaticallyshuts down andrestartsthe train’s engine when stationary,improving fuel eficiencyand reducing emissions. Stations ser vedinclude Stirling, Larbert,Greenfaulds, Whiflet, Motherwell, Lockerbie, Carlisle, Preston, Crewe, Nuneaton, Milton Keynes and Euston. Of these, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert will havetheirfirst directtrains to London.

Class93route clearanceisexpanded

THE NINTH of the batchof10Stadler tri-mode Class 93sordered by Rail Operations Group docked in the UK on June 13 when 93008 wasunloaded. It was preceded 10 days earlier by 93005 arriving at the Port of BristolonJune 3. Both locoswerethentaken to Worksop by Allely’sHeavy Haulage. Theirarrivals leavejust93009 to ship to the UK, and it wasdue to land on about June 30 or in the first week of July

The locos havealso started to expand their sphereofoperations on provingruns to newdestinations including Ipswich and Glasgow Central. On June2,93001/002 undertook tworeturn runs between Worksop and Newark Northgate, via Retford, which were then replicatedonJune 4by 93001/007 and on June 5by93002/003.

Morenoteworthy wasthe June 9trip to GlasgowCentral by 93001, whichran light as 0Q07, the 06.15 from Worksop Down Yard via Derby, Crewe, and the WCML. It then worked 0Q08, the15.33 Glasgow Central-Carlisle.

On June 10, the same locothen worked 0Q72 from Carlisle to Wembley, taking the class intoLondon. 93007was alsoavisitortothe Rail Liveevent at Long Marston on June 18/19.

930 03/0 04/00 7/010 hav ej o in ed 93001/002 in the GROG activepool,but 93005/006/008 remain in theMBEL pool and will no doubttransfer very soon once theyhavebeen signed of foruse.

Inspiration traintourdates announced

THE DATES forthe newNetwork Rail’s educational Inspiration train, which is being used as part of the Rail 200 celebrations, havebeen revealed.

The first six monthsofyear-long anniversaryschedule is confirmed and covers 27 locations. The train opens to the public on June 27 at the Severn ValleyRailway and will criss-cross Britain for12months, visiting 60 locationsand showcasingrail’spast, present, andfuture. The tour for2026will be unveiled laterthis year

Free ticketstoboard the trainare nowavailable to book forJune 27to August17and registrations of interestare open forvisitsfromAugust23 to December 20. Those who register their interestwill be the first to be informed when newbookings open. Curatedinpartnership withthe National Railway Museum, Inspiration will be the only exhibition train on the rail network and will help to attractthe next generation of pioneering talent to the railway.

The train comprises four Mk.3s, poweredbytwo dedicated Class 66s –66710, which is nowinthe matching livery, and66719, whichwas due out of the paintshop as this issue of RI closed forpress.

Rail’s pioneeringpedigreewillbe explored in aRailway Firsts coach, highlighting landmark momentsin rail’sdevelopment.Adjoining will be aWonderlab on Wheels, inviting visitorsto test theirengineering skills with hands-onexhibits. Next will be a Your RailwayFuturecarriage,showcasing someofthe morehidden roles in rail and encouraging people to join therailway to shape the next 200 years. The final coach is aPartner Zone, ofering free,flexibleexhibition space.

The re furbi shment of th e ex-Greater Anglia/Hanson &Hall coaches is complete,supported by a£250,000 grant from theNational LotteryHeritageFundand acontribution from Porterbrook covering the distinctivelivery.

More than 200,000 people,including many school chil dr en, ar e expected to visitbyprior booking. Admission to the train is free, but normal entr ychargestoheritage railways and private sites whereitis locatedwill apply

The train will visit theNorth East in September –rail’s200th anniversary month –aspartofS&DR200, anine -month international festiva li nspir ed by th eo peni ng of theStocktonand Darlington Railway(S&DR) in 1825, ajourneythat changedthe worldforever

This year ’s tour datesare:June 27-July 6, Kidderminster(SVR); July 8-10, Birmingham Moor Street;July 12-15, Euston; July 18/19, Waterloo; July 20/21, Margate;July 23-29, Bluebell Railway,August 1-3 Derby Litchurch Lane, August7-10 Norwich, Au gu st 11 -14 Lowe stof t; Au gu st 16/17, FreightlinerDoncaster Railport;August23-31, National Railway Museum, York;September10-17, Darlington; September 20-October

1, Locomotion museum, Shildon; October 4, Hitachi Open Day, Newton Ayclife;October 5-7, Grosmont;October 11/12, Glasgow Central; October 13/14, Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway; October 16/17, StrathspeyRailway; October 19/20, Aberdeen; October 22/23, Edinburgh Waverley; October 2-November 2, Keighleyand Worth ValleyRailway; November 4-7, Blackpool North; November 24-29, Bishops Lydeard; December 8-13, Paddington; December 14-16, Southampton; and December 18-20, Victoria. Llandudno in NorthWales will be added to the tour in November once datesare confirmed, andfurtherdestinations arebeing explored for2026. No passengerswill be carried on the train as it travels to itsexhibition sites. Booked visitswill take place between 10am and 5pm, with the on-train experienceexpectedtolast up to an hour.Lastentryisat4pm.A virtual tour of theexhibitionexperience will be availablefor thoseunable to visit in person.

BLSannounces Cappaghtrack andtractiontour

The train startswith aGBRf Class 57/3 at De rb yat 04. 45 an da lso ru ns vi aE astM id la nds Pa rk wa y, Melton Mowbray,Corby, Bedford, the Hendon Chordand intoActon Yard,wheretwo DCRail Class 60s take over.

AFTER MUCH delay,a July 12 day out with Cappagh traction has finally been announced by the Branch Line Society. The train is doubling up as aCappagh staf dayout from WimbledontoBath but is also be opened up to enthusiasts Using ERSMk. 2stock ,itwill be operated by GB Railfreight as DCRail doesn’t haveapassenger licence.

Romictokeepits Class20s

The train then heads via Clapham Junction, Salisbur yand Westbur y to Bath Spa. Passengerscan alight hereorstayonboard foratrip to the freight-only Tytherington branch.

The 60swill then run roundand work back to BristolEastDepotwherethe trainreverse again andtwo DCRail

ROMIC HAS confirmed it will be keeping the twoClass 20s, 20007/205, it recently purchased from Michael Owen and indeed has announced that Dereham, on theMid-Norfolk Railway, will be their newbase. The twolocos arrived on May 23 and took part in the MNR’s three-day dieselevent on May 24-26.

Simon Lowe,fromRomic,said: “Regarding our Class 20s. They’re not forsale. We were initiallyoferingthem forsaleonline with the agreement of the previous owner.Wesubsequently decidedtokeepthemourselves and use them forour growing hirebusiness. Thelisting on thewebsite pre-datesthis decision by some months.

“Weknowwehavethe oldest main line-registeredlocoin20007,so please be assured we see their future very much in the UK, and it will be staying in BR green.”

With Romic nowowning 20007/205, Rail Adventurehas turned to Swietelsky to hire in Class 20s as requiredif the Romic duo areunavailable. On May 29, 20302/311 were used alongside 43423/467 to take newTyne& Wear units555016/035 as 6Q34, the06.20

Class 56s take over and return the train to Derbyvia Kingsland Road, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Reading, Richmond, Clapham Junction, Gospel Oakand theECMLtoPeterborough and then back via Melton Mowbray to Derby, arriving at 23.40. Allprofits will be donatedtoMartinHouse Hospice.

WembleyReception-York Holgate Siding, with the Class 20sonthe rear and detached at Lincoln. The day before, theyhad collectedthe units forDollands Moor insteadofDBCargo 20007/205 were used to take 33202 Dennis GRobinson and55009 Alycidon to the North YorkshireMoorsRailway on June 11, but 20007 ranout of fuel en routenearYork,so20205, which wasonthe rear of the convoy,had to run round and lead the train –running bonnet-first as farasBattersby,where it run round again.

On June 16, the two20s worked 0Q35, the 18.30 Grosmont-Keighley, moving 50021 Rodney and 55009 to theKWVR gala.Thismove waspiloted by 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach as farasHolgatesidings in York to save apathonthe Esk Valleyline.

Meanwhile, GBRf has said it’snot bought any Class 20s, but could be on the lookout forfourlocos for RHTT work,especially if theyhave tripcocks fitted. These were fitted to 20096/ 107/ 118/ 1 32/189/227 and 20301/302/304/305/311/314, 20901/905 when used on tube stock movesbyGBRfinthe 2010s.

Class37helps outGBRffor Scot tish sleepers

THE CONTINUED issues with Class 73/9s forced GB Railfreight to hire 37403 Isle of Mull from the Scottish Railway Preservation Society to work the CaledonianSleeper trips between Edinburgh and Aberdeen forseveral daysinJune.

On June 13, the 37 worked 1A25, the 04.28 Edinburgh-Aberdeen (a portion of the 21.15 Euston-Inverness) with 73968 retained as atranslatorvehicleasthe 37 cannotcoupledirectly to the Mk.5sleepers. The pair then headed back on 1B16, the 20.26 Aberdeen-Edinburgh, although the Class 73 wasnot running as the37/4could provide train supply via the ‘ED’

On June 14,theyhandled 1A25 again, but as it wasaSaturday,they did notreturn, so the next working wasonJune15whentheyheaded so ut ho n1 B16, the 20.36 Abe rdeen-Edinburgh,onthe Sunday evening. On June 16, theyworkedas theyhad on June 13.

37403 had been used in June 2023 on this trainasatrial run to seeif it wassuitable as acoverloco, and it seems thattrial wasnot awaste of time given itsneed now.

Due to ashortageofserviceable Class 73/9s, 37403

Caledonian Sleeper runs in June. The ‘tractor’ leaves Arbroathwith

only in use as acoupling adaptorand notproviding any power/ETH. Jim Ramsey

FirstGroup plansHerefordtoPadding tontrains

FIRSTGROUP HAS submittedthe firstphase of an applicationfor a newopen access rail servicebetween Herefordand London to the Oficeof Rail and Road. It plans to expand its

open access rail operations as part of itssuccessful Lumo business.

In December 2024, Fir st Group placed a£500 million order for14 trains from Hitachi Rail in County

Durham. It has an option forapotential second orderofsimilar size and the Herefordfleetwould form part of this option.

Theproposal is fortwo return

journeys aday (one on Sundays) between Paddington and Hereford, calling at BristolParkway,Severn Tunnel Junction Cwmbrân, Pontypool &New Inn and Abergavenny.

Coaching Stock News

WestCoast HSTplan

With West CoastRailways settointroduceits ownHST set, the first rake of vehicles arrived at Carnforth on May20, 47802 and 47812 hauling TS 48102/110112/130/149and TGS49103/104north from Laira, with the Mk.2fpair of6176 and 9526 employedasbarriers.

Meanwhile, afurther setofstock was dispatched to Fort William on May 21 to support ‘The Jacobite’ services, 37518 Fort William having charge of seven Mk.2s, FO 3360/62, TSO5952, 6021/22, 6103 and BSO9391, along with Mk.1 micro-bufet conversion 99318. Of note is that6021 has nowlostits Pullman umber and creamcolours for standardmaroon. This set’sarrival allowedeight other coaches, 1860, 3350, 3417, 5453, 5985, 6000, 6115 and 21266, to be returned to Carnforth fortyreturning behind the same Type 3onMay 23. The same formation, minus 5985, then returned north with 37685 Loch Arkaig on June 3.

Short HSTs

The electrification test trainbased around Europhoenix’s91117 Project Electra wasdisbanded at theend of May following afinal setoftests on the GreatWestern Main Line,these being based at Swindon and taking in Severn TunnelJunction andReading

The fo ur Lo co mo tiv eS er vices-owned Mk.3sprovided forthe train via Easte rn Ra il Ser vices, TF 41063/117 and TS 42100/220, were then takentoGreat Yarmouth between 43301 and 43303 forstore on June 3.

Mean wh ile ,a noth er sh or tH ST formation departed Dereham on a multi-dayfilmingcontract on June 10, Rail Adventurepower cars sandwiching camera-equipped former CrossCountr ytrailers44021 and 45001. The train ra ni nitially to Inverkeithing Yard before venturing to Kyle of Lochalsh and back on June 11/12.

DVTwoes

Mk.4DVT 82229 sustained substantial damageo nM ay 22 when it collided with atractor and trailer on auser-worked crossing near Leominsterwhile forming1V37, the 08.30 Manchester Piccadilly-Cardif Central, propelled by 67029 RoyalDiamond. The set, HD02, wasrecovered to Crewethe following day by 67007 for examination. By earlyJune, Transport forWales haddispatchedits second spareDVT,82204, from Landore to Worksop,potentially to be prepared as areplacementalongside the ongoing work on extraMk. 4set HD08.

Mk. 3news

LocomotiveServices has dispatched tw of urther Mk .3c oa ches to Eastleigh Works, with 57003 Inter City Railway Society collecting the TS pairing of42319 and 42583 from storeatKidderminsteronJune 9. Also included in the train thatoriginated from CrewewereStatesman Mk.2f FO 3312 and Mk. 2e BUO 9804 and 9809, the latter duo still being in ex-Caledonian Sleepercondition

Meanwhile, the latest repainted Night RivieraMk. 3sleeper wasreturned to Reading from Eastleigh on May 31, 50008 Thunderer depositing 10584 and collecting bufet 10225.

MNR takesbufet cars

The twoMk. 3buffet cars latterly stored in Stokehavebothmoved to the Mid-NorfolkRailwayafter being ofered forsale by Reid Freight Services. These are40704, previously at the GreatCentral Railway,and 40807, which wasoriginally destined foruse as part of arestaurantalongside Pitlochrystation.One of thepair arrived at Dereham in early April, with the other following duringMay

SRPScoach overhauled

Fresh from overhaul by Rampart Engineering, twomoreofthe Scottish RailwayPreservationSociety’s main line-registeredMk. 1s have returned to Bo’ness,37403 Isle of Mull collecting TSO4856 and bufet 1730 from Barrow Hill on May 16. The work has included arepaint for 4856, which nowcarries BR crimson

and cream, matching the previously repainted RBR and other vehicles in therailtour set.

IC look forpreservedHST

The 125 Group has commenced a programme to repaint itsMk. 3set into InterCity colours, with TS 42111 the first to be completed. This arrived at Loughborough in the company of 42120 on April 2, Rail Adventurepower cars 43468 and 43480 providingthe traction from Swanwick Junction. The same pairingwas used again on May 22 to return the resplendent coach back to the Midland Railway –Butterley andthe TS wasback in main line action on May 31, being included in the setthat formed the UK Railtours’ charter to Stanhope, poweredby43089 and 43159.

MK. 2a sent forscrap

Unrestored sincewithdrawalfromthe North Wales coast, ex-Regional Railways Mk.2aBSK 35513 departed the East LancashireRailwayonMay 28. Previously BFK 17063, it wastaken to the Middlewich yard of Sandbach Commercial Dismantlersfor disposal.Meanwhile, sistercoach 17077 has movedfromBury to the workshops of Riley &Son Engineering, with the former RivieraTrains vehicle due to be overhauled and become asupport coach forsteamlocomotives.

Shunter News

Freightliner

Recently-overhauled 08530 lastedonly twoand ahalf months at TrafordPark beforeapower unitfault necessitated itsreplacement at the endofMay.With it dispatched to NemesisRailatBurton forrepairs, this allowed08585 to return to Manchesteronceagain.

GB Railfreight

The use of Class 08s on theCelsasteelworks duty in Cardif came to an end on May 8with the expiryofthe hire agreement with HNRC Swietelsky.The

class had maintainedacontinuous presencefor threedecades, but no time waswastedincollecting the last twoshunters,with 08924 departing forWorksop on May 29, whereitwas unloaded thefollowing day. Aweek later, it wasthe turn of 08389 to leave, this time forBarrow Hill, where it was unloaded on June 4.

Swietelsky

The contracttoprovide ashunter to GB Railfreightatits Peterborough depotlooked to havechanged hands

in mid-June with the arrivalofSwietelsky orange08799 Ian Goddard from Worksop on June 9. Despitethis, RSS incumbent 08632 wasalso still present acouple of days later.

AfurtherSwietelsky livery variation has appeared on TOPS-registered Thomas Hill 01530, theformer Ministry of Defence loco losingits obsolete purple andwhite Defence Logistics Organisation garb at Worksop. Instead,itnow carriesall-over dark blue, relievedbyanorangestripe at waistheight.

PositiveTraction

Afer some five weeks back at Chesterfield, batteryconversion08308 wason

themoveagain on June 6, beingdelivered to Rowsley, Peak Rail.

Railway

Support Services

Afer the bestpart of 15 yearsinthe Atterclifescrapyard of European Metal Recycling, 08872 madeanunexpected departuretoWishaw on May 22, where it is expectedtodonate partstowards the resurrection of 08783. The latter was another escapee from an EMR yard,this time Kingsbury, back in February 2023, but has remained at Wishaw ever since. Thebrief hire of privately-owned 09106 to RSShas ended with the shunter returned to the Dean Forest Railway on May 19, whereitisdue to remain forthe rest of the year.

Unit News

701 Arterio availability startstoincrease forSWR

Following the introduction of the summer timetable, further Class 701 Arterio EMUshavebeen brought into servicebySouth Western Railway so, thatbythe secondweek of June,up to ninesetswerebeing recorded in traficoncertain days.

On May21, 701042 carriedpassengers forthe firsttimewhenitformed 1D05, the 06.24 Waterloo-Dorking,while 701035 gotits floorsdirty on May28 when it worked 2U45,the 15.33 Waterloo to Windsor &EtonRiverside.On June 9, 701044 became the 12th setinservice by forming 2O05, the 06.00 Waterloo-Waterloo via the Kingstonloop

ActiveTravelincrease

Twomoreofthe ActiveTravelconversions forTransport forWales have been completedand released from Landore. On May 28, former Northern set153307, nowrenumbered as 153507, wasdelivered to Canton, which included atestrun to Cardif and back to Swansea as part of a three-legged working.

In achangetothe originalplan, it has been semi-permanently partnered with 153362 to form setAT01 instead of 153312, which is nowset to be the maintenancespare.The newformation returned to trafic on June 3.

Meanwhile, the firstofthe two additional ActiveTravelconversions from Tf W’sown setshas also been completed, with153972now renumbered as 153572. Undergoing conversion at Landore since December,it has been paired with 153318 to create AT05, the duo returning to Canton on June9.Yet to appear is setAT06, which will consistof153568 (ex-153968) and 153327, with both unitslatterly locatedatArrivaTraincare in Crewe.

EMR’sfirst refreshed 158

The fir st Class 158 to be re furbished forEastMidlands Railway, 158847, wa sr et urned to Derb y Et ches Pa rk on June 9f ol lo wing co mpletion at Br isto lB arton Hill. Re sident sinceO ctobe rl ast year,t he wo rk has also included arepaint intoEMR’spurpleliver y as well as wheelsetreplacement , with the journe yb ack to the EastM id land sb eing under ta ke n by ro ad. The secon du nit in the programme,158866,isalready at Arriva Traincare’sBristoldepot.

LastofXC’sextra dozen

Class 221s nowisdaily use

All of the additional Super Voyager

DEMUsbeing takenonbyCrossCountryhavenow returned to trafic

following their hiatus of morethan six months afer going of-lease with Avanti late lastyear. By the timetable changeonMay 18, all of 221107-109 and221112-118 were back in trafic, leaving justtwo sets to reappear,Of these, 221110 formed 1O06, the06.39 Nottingham-Bournemouth, on the second day of the newtimetable, but it wasnot until May 27 that221111 wasready to return,being turned out for1H14, the 07.01 Birmingham NS-ManchesterPiccadilly.

Class 379 progress forGN

The return to trafic of the former StansteadExpress Class 379 fleet with Gr ea tN orthern co ntinue s to mak estea dy pr ogr ess, with two-thirds of the 30-strong class nowwiththe operator.The latest sets to be extractedfromstore at Worksop and movedtoHornse y are379003, which made the journeysouth behind 57303 on June 4, while the Class 57 had 379005 in tow sevendays later. Also back on Great Northern metals is 379021, which wasextracted fromWembleyYard by 57303onJune 10 and returned to Horney.

Late May saw all of 379006/024/025/ 028 carr ypassengers onceagain, joining 379001/002/010/016/017/ 020/022/023/026/027/029, while 379003-005/019/021 were at Hornse yb ut ye ttor et ur ntou se by mid-June. At the same time, the 10 sets still at Worksop were 379007009/011-015/018/030. The increase in Class 379 usageallowed387119

and 387121 to be released to Southern on May 19 while, in turn, Southea stern has assumed co ntrol of 377123/124/126/128.

Freight Flex trials

The twoformer GWRClass769 Flex unitsconverted intofreight unitsat Wabtec, Doncaster, at the end of last year havecommenced trial running from Leicester. Initially,769535 and 769549 were limited to out-and-back runs to Peterborough but,having proved reliable, theyundertook more adventurous outingsfromLeicester to Eustonvia NuneatonfromJune 9, departinginthe evening and returning overnight.

Meanwhile, 769922 wasreturned to Long Marston from Eastriggs on May 20,the journeysouth beingundertakeninbetween Rail Adventure powercars43423/467and 43468/480. This wasone of the twoex-GWRsets thatreceived attention at Brodie Rail, Kilmarnock,lastyear, including arepaint intoplain blue.

However, 769922 wasnoted on the move again, this time by road, on about June 10, with all four cars leaving Long Marston fortemporary storageatCockshuteSidings, Stoke, Longsight seemingly the intended destination.

Unit Focus

CLASS197

7/6 –197022 intopassenger service, debuting on2D50 06.20Llandudno Junction-Llandudno and then 1H82 06.42 Llandudno-ManchesterAirport with 197102.

CLASS320

22/5 –3 20417 5Q70 09.09 Yoker-Wolverton.

23/5 –320415 5Q06 09.05 Wolverton-Yoker, issue at Northamptonand returned to Wolverton.

3/6 –3204155Q06 09.05 Wolverton-Yokeraferrectification.

CLASS331

28/5 –37501 +331010 5Q17 12.21 Allerton-Neville Hill.

CLASS378

31/5 –37510 +378220 5Q87 06.55 Alstom, Widnes-NewCross Gate 31/5 –37510 +378218 5Q36 15.26 New Cross Gate-Alstom, Widnes. 14/6 –37510 +378218 5Q87 06.40 Alstom, Widnes-Willesden.

14/6 –37510 +378207 5Q36 14.15 Willesden-Alstom, Widnes.

CLASS397

14/6 –397006 5E23 09.28 Longsight-Wabtec, Doncaster, foroverhaul.

CLASS465/466

22/5 –37884 +465238 +465239

7Q76 08.57 Ely Papworth-Unimetals, Newport.

29/5 –37884 +465915 +466027 5Q76 08.58 Ely Papworth-Unimetals, Newport

5/6 –37800 +465917 +4660135Q66

08.52 Ely Papworth-EMR, Kingsbury. 12/6 –37884 +4660335Q66 08.30 Ely Papworth-EMR, Kingsbury.

CLASS555

28/5 –2 0311 +2 0302 +5 55016 +5 55035 6Q23 21.10 Dollan ds Moor-Wembley.

29/5 –43467 +43423 +555016 + 555035 +20302 +20311 6Q34 06.20

Wembley-York Holgate, Class 20s detached at Lincoln en route, 6Q35 20.51 York Holgate-Pelaw Junction.

CLASS701

19/5 –47739 +701512 +701517 5Q75

08.53 Arriva, Eastleigh-Long Marston. 20/5 –69008 +701055 5Q76 16.17

MoD Bicester-Willesden,5Q77 19.29

Willesden-Wimbledon

22/5 –69008 +701007 5Q75 09.20 Arriva, Eastleigh-Long Marston.

Liveries

GB Railfreighthas createdtwo more unique liveries following the outshopping of 69016 and then 66710from the Eastleigh workshops of Arlington FleetServices.

While the Class 69 has received ap re dominate ly whitea nd blue liver ytopromote theBritish Transpo rt Po lice, 66 71 0’sa ll -red ga rb forms part of the Railway 200 celebrations andfeatures thelogos of the GWR, LMS, LNER and Southern on itsfour cabsides.

66745 has joi ned re ce ntly co mplete d6 6744 in re ce iving a

freshcoat of GBRf blue and orange at Loughborough to remove the Europorteliver yelements. Both GM sw er ee xpec te dt or eceiv e vinyls wrapsasdedicated power forthe Britannic Express luxur y train, but this is nowtobestowed on just66748.

Meanwhile, DB Cargo’s contribution to the year’s railway festivities, a repaint of appropriately-numbered 66200, wasstill awaited in mid-June. The Totonpaintshop has notbeen idle though, turning out twomore red‘Sheds,’ 66098/199, as well as

27/5 –69008 +701020 5Q76 16.18

MoD Bicester-Willesden,5Q77 19.39 Willesden-Wimbledon.

28/5 –69008 +701026 5Q54 07.52

Arriva, Eastleigh-Marchwood.

28/5 –69008 +701004 5Q57 10.41

Marchwood-Arriva, Eastleigh.

3/6 –69008 +701021 5Q76 16.18

MoD Bicester-Willesden,5Q77 19.30 Willesden-Wimbledon.

10/6 –69013 +701056 5Q76 16.18

MoD Bicester-Willesden,5Q77 19.29 Willesden-Wimbledon

11/6 –69013 +701055 5Q75 09.20 Arriva, Eastleigh-Long Marston.

CLASS720

16/5 –37800 +720505+ 7205685Q57 09.22 Ilford-DerbyLitchurch Lane.

CLASS730

20/5 –37510 +730201+37611 8Q59 11.53 UKRL, Loughborough-Derby Litchurch Lane.

21/5 –37510 +730234 5Q77 11.06

Gascoigne Wood-Bletchley. 22/5 –37611 +730215 +730225 5Q16 12.08

DoncasterBelmont-Gascoigne Wood. 28/5 –37510 +730216 5Q77 09.50

Gascoigne Wood-Bletchley. 29/5 –37501 +730229 5Q16 12.08

DoncasterBelmont-Gascoigne Wood 2/6 –37510 +730230 5Q57 11.01 CreweCarriageSidings-Old Dalby.

Locos

BritishTransport Policeblue: 69016

DB Cargo: 66098, 66199

GB Railfreight: 66745

Railway 200 red: 66710

Swietelsky black/orange: 01530

Transport forWalesblack: 67012 Units

c2c: 357033/042/043, 357316

CrossCountryred: 170113

London Overgroundrevised: 378220

Network Rail blue: 153384

Northern: 323202/243

Southeastern blue: 376005/009/010/036

5/6 –37501 +730228 7Q16 12.49

DoncasterBelmont-Gascoigne Wood. 11/6 –37501 +730221 5Q77 11.06 Gascoigne Wood-Bletchley.

CLASS756

22/5 –756004 intopassenger service, debuting on 1A50 17.09 Merthyr Tydfil-AberdarefromCardif,whereit took over from 150208, and then returned on 1F60 19.22 Aberdare-Cardif Central.

CLASS800

12/6 –800110 5X83 10.18 Eastleigh Works-Reading, 5Z83 11.36 Reading-DoncasterCarr

CLASS802

3/6 –800013 5X80 10.29

Eastleigh Works -R ea ding, 5Z80 12.11 Reading-Paddington. 3/6 –8 02101 5Z83 14.26 North Po le -Rea di ng ,5 X8 41 5. 21 Reading-Eastleigh Works.

CLASS805

19/5 –805002 intopassenger service, debuting on 1D80 05.30Birmingham NewStreet-Holyhead with 805004.

CLASS807

20/8 –807009 intopassenger service, debuting on 1R17 07.21 Birmingham NewStreet-Euston.

Transport forWalesActiveTravel: 153507/572 Coaches

BR maroon: 6021 InterCity: 42111

67012 in the black and redTransport forWales livery.

All of the former WestMidlands Class 323s takenonbyNorthern havenow received the coloursoftheir newoperator, 323243 being the lasttoemergefrom Wolverton on June 6. Lastly,another of Network Rail’svideo surveyClass 153 conversions has received the attractive light blue liveryemployedsolely on this fleet, 153384 being the fourth to be treated.

WCR’s57008 made itslong-awaited return to the main line on June 10 when it partnered 57006, itself returning from along period out of use undergoing repairs. Thepair of ‘bodysnatchers’ pause at Hellifield, having arrived form Carnforth. ChrisGee

Naming Update

London’s Waterloo station played host to three naming ceremonies in the spaceof10days from late May,two of which involved GB Railfreight.OnMay 28, 66728 unveiled updated Chartered Institution of Railway Operators nameplatestomarkthe organisation’ssilver jubilee year,this also being an opportunity to replacethe previous version of the name as one nameplate had been missing forsome time.

Twodays later, it was69016’sturn at theLondonterminustoformally unveil itsnew white BritishTransport Police nameplatesand blue and white policelivery. Lastly,onJune 6, oneof Network Rail’sRobelMobile MaintenanceTrains waspresent to be named Dame BernadetteKelly DCB afer the outgoing Permanent Secretarytothe Department forTransport.

Staying with GBRf,69010was a guestatthe North Norfolk Railway’s Rails &Ales event on June 13-15, the first day seeingthe loconamed to mark the line’s 50th anniversary. LNER staged itsfirst 225 Day on, appropriately,May 22, this celebrating all things Class 91 withthe highlight beingthe

returnofavariant of the Swallow name firstcarried by 91001. This nowadorns 91106 though, with aceremony carried out at Leeds part waythrough the day

Three days earlier,LNER unveiled itslatestnamed Azuma, 801224 now celebrating Bradford’sstint as the UK City of Culturewith appropriate extra graphics. Meanwhile, overonthe West Coast, Avanti has marked the 100th anniversaryofStoke becoming acity by updating the name vinyls carried by 390129.

Chiltern Railways has named afurther Class 68 in memoryofformer employee Amy Owen, who died in August lastyear afer ashort illness. Having begun her career with Wexham &Shropshire, she laterbecameatrain manager with Chiltern beforegraduating to driver, being the first of the company’sfemale driverstosign Class 68s.

London Northwestern-operated 150141 has become the first of the MarstonValetrio of Class 150stobe named followinga public competition,its name commemoratingthe codebreaking work ofBletchleyPark during the Second World War.

GBRf’s recently repainted 66710 sitsinEastleighEastYardonJune 11 notlong afer being releasedfromthe paintshopinnew Rail 200 livery. Mark Pike

Wagon News

Newdeliveries

Deliveries of DB Cargo’s newbatch of 60 BAAsteel slab carrierswas nearing completion in mid-June. The latest arrivals haveincluded900447 and 900449,which were transferred from StoketoWarrington Arpleyby66106 on May 19 to await onward movement to Margam. The 6F52 13.01 trip was then repeatedonJune 2, this time with 66104 in charge of 900448/450/451, while aweek later, it wasthe turn of 66102 to collect900436/452/453.

Derbygoes Yellow

Wagonmaintenancefirm YellowRail has leased part of DerbyLitchurch Lane to allowa significantexpansion of itsrepairand overhaul capabilities. The long-term agreement signed with

Another recent GBRf repaint has been thatof69016, nownamed British Transport Police.ItisatWaterloo on May 30, the day of itsnaming, with itsnameplate on this side still coveredup. Pip Dunn

Meanwhile, c2chas named 357316 afer the Canvey Island-born musician WilkoJohnson, who wasamember of the band Dr Feelgood during the 1970s and sadly died in 2023. Lastly,arededication ceremony was held for45118 The RoyalArtilleryman at SalisburyonMay 30, the LocomotiveSer vices-owned ‘Peak’ being given ag uardo fh onour as the nameplateswereunveiled and also received ablessing from the Dean of SalisburyCathedral.The RoyalArtilleryisgarrisoned at nearbyLarkhill.

Alstomgives the company itsown workshop building and will allowthe creation of 25 newjobs. Although full use of the newfacilitiesisnot expectedtobegin until afer TheGreatest Gatheringevent in August, the first twowagons arrived from Stokebyroadatthe beginning of June, these being Touax HYAhoppers 37 70 6791.026-7 and 031-7. Afurther eight examples aredue in the coming weeks to undergo general repair work.

Freightlinerboxes

By the beginning of June, the first of Freightliner’snew MWA-C boxwagons wasall butcompleteatthe Shirebrook workshops of WH Davis. Ordered at the end of lastyear, the 76 aggregate wagons utilise bogies, brakeequipment and drawgearrecovered from HHAhoppers, the bodies of which arethen transported to Booth’s Rotherham yard forscrapping. Owned by Porterbrook,the MWAsare

finished in Freightliner’s pale grey wagon liverywhile the first rake wasdue to be released by the end of June. Afurther 18 HHA donorsweretransferredfromYork to Shirebrook by 66518 on May 20,these being 370032/057/058/066/079/089/090, 370103/114/117/132/133/143/149/191/ 198 and 370206/214.

Weltrol

disposal

TwoofVTG’s long-storedKWA plant carrierswereextracted from Gascoigne Wood on May22, Rail Adventure power cars 43423 and 43467 first heading to Tyseleytodeposit VTG95624 before continuingontoBletchley TMD with VTG95623, both seemingly forinternal use.

Plant moves

Twomorenewly-built Plasser & Theurer Unimat08-4x4/4S tampers havearrived in the UK, 66172 moving

Colas Rail’sDR73954 north from DollandsMoor to West Ealing on May 21 forcommissioningatthe Plasser workshops. The same routewas takenby66143 on June 2, it conveying DR73955, which is aBalfour Beatty machine. Balancing the scales for Colas, Plasser &Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT switch and crossing tamper DR73907 has been sold and left the UK for further use abroad. On May 28, it was hauled from RugbytoWembleyby 43423 and 43467 ,the same combination then reaching Dollands Moor twodays laterwithsomeRailAdventurebarrier wagons employedona Class 555 transfer also in tow. Meanwhile, twoBeilhack snowploughs havearrivedatEastriggsfor servicing, the transfer of ADB965580 and ADB965581 from Doncasterbeing efectedby56049 Robin of Templecombe and 56051 Survivor on May 22.

Royal look forGCR Class27

THE OVERHAUL on 27056atthe Great Central Railway is drawing to aclose and the locohas been repainted back into BR blue, butwitha shortlived liverytweak –awhitesolebar stripe.

Eastfield depot applied the stripe, along with re db ufferbeams, in November 1983 forits planned use on aRoyal Train at the time. It carried it until late 1984.

This is the first timethe locohas run in blueatthe GCR, whereit has been permanently based since 2008. It wasstopped foroverhaul in 2016.

Attention is nowturning to the co ntinuation of the ov erhaul of anotherSulzerType 2atthe railway, Class 25 D5185, which wasstopped in 2019.

Progress made on SVRembankmentrepairs

THE SEVERN ValleyRailway has made significant progress with repairsto itsfailed embankment at Mor Brook bridgesincespecialistengineering contractors CML took possession of the siteatthe beginningofthe month. It is possible the full line could reopen as soon as late July.

The landslide happened in late Januarybetween HamptonLoade and Bridgnorth, as reported, which means train canonly run between Kidderminsterand HamptonLoade.

CML has alr ea dy ex ca va te d 2500 tonnes of material from the trackbed and embankment,and it has completedtemporary culverting works on the watercourse belowthe bridgetofacilitate full access to the

embankment forplant and machinery. This will allowfurtherexcavation to take placearound thecollapsed wing wall of the bridge

The SVR’sprojectmanager,Antony Bartlam, said: “The next stageisto install aconcretefooting. Then, CML will carefully lift in more than 100 hugeLegatoconcreteblocks, each weighing about 2.5 tonnes, ontothis to form asolidstructure. Theblocks arealready on site, ready foruse.

“Next, CML will backfill the embankment structureusing alternate layers of geogrid matting and imported aggregate, to tie the newwall into the embankment

“It will placelarge L-shaped precast concreteunitsacrossthe topofthe

bridgetoforma strong base to carry the trackbed, ready forthe reinstatement of the rail itself.Itreally is avery cleversolution indeed, and CML’s progress is impressive, helped by the recent good weather.”

CML is an expert in rail infrastructure, but this pa rticular project has broughtsomenew challenges, as itscon tracts ma nager,Stu ar t Hale, said. “This really is something diferent–not justarun-ofthe-mill embankment failure. We needed to find arobust and permanent solution thatwecould build at speed,and which wasafordable to aheritageline. It also needed to comply withthe local authority’smitigationmeasures, working

around the wate rcourse. We are very glad to nowbeatthe ‘boots on theground’ stageand arelooking forwardtogetting this finished, hopefully with no undue problems.”

SVRmanaging director GusDunster added: “It’ssosatisfying to be making real progress with this repair.We’ve hadmanyfrustrating delays,but all of them were necessary.

“Assoon as the embankment failurehappened, we sawa tremendous groundswell of support from the public.Thousands of donations, together with moneyfromour insurancecompany,meant we couldgo ahead with this essential repair work to reunitethe whole length of the line to Bridgnorth.”